KF2 Berserker Guide: Talents and Weapons (Alpha Era)

This guide (originally a series of videos plus text, written during the alpha) explains what a Berserker does and which talents and weapons suit it. Weapon numbers reflect the build at that time, so check newer builds before relying on them. For more current builds see the Berserker build and complete Berserker guide.

Role

The Berserker is a melee frontline fighter and the team's meat shield, with damage resistance and a larger health pool than other perks. Alongside a few other classes it is tasked with killing the large Zeds (Scrakes and Fleshpounds), so learning to parry them is important.

Talent picks

Tier 1 - Sonic Resistance. Siren screams cannot be avoided and the area damage threatens the whole team, so Sirens are priority targets and a Berserker has to get face to face with them. The 40% resistance beats poison resistance because Bloat attacks can be avoided by killing Bloats fast. You may take poison resistance for the first two waves since Sirens do not appear before wave 3. After the Medic's Vaccination nerf, armor regeneration is harder, which is why some Berserkers prefer poison resistance (poison takes armor, sonic bypasses armor). Poison resistance also helps against Hans Volter's poison grenades.

Tier 2 - Fortitude. You want a high health pool at all times. A competent medic heals faster than Vampire steals health, and Scrakes and Fleshpounds hit too hard for Vampire to keep you alive.

Tier 3 - Furious Defender over Block. Parrying reduces damage to 10%, while blocking takes 50%, and a Berserker is on offense more than defense. Furious Defender gives 10% faster melee attacks and 20% more damage.

Tier 4 - Smash over Parry. Smash gives 25% more damage and hard head hits guarantee a knockdown on large Zeds. Knockdowns give the team an opening to empty magazines, can save a teammate who has aggro, and can save you. The knockdown has a cooldown.

Tier 5 - Spartan (or Menace). Spartan lets you hit at almost normal speed in Zed time, and parrying in Zed time guarantees a knockdown on a large Zed. Menace suits a PUG where there are few Demolitionists and Gunslingers to stun or stumble large Zeds.

Weapons

The arsenal at that time: 9mm Pistol, Lawn Mower Blade, EMP Grenade, Crovel Survival Tool, VLAD-1000 Nailgun, Zweihander, Pulverizer, Eviscerator.

Tier 1

• 9mm Pistol: shared by all classes; a Berserker should rely on it only for farming XP.
• Lawn Mower Blade: the default melee weapon, cannot be sold. Fastest attack speed and very good at clearing waves 1 to 5 before Scrakes and Fleshpounds. The light attack clears Zeds quickly; the heavy attack handles tankier Zeds like Sirens and Husks; the melee bash is its best feature because it stuns and hits consistently.
• Crovel Survival Tool: quick and versatile, dealing slashing and blunt damage. A light swing decapitates basic enemies (Clot, Cyst, Stalker, Gorefast) but not a Crawler to the body (50% slashing resistance). The heavy attack kills Crawlers and catches them mid-leap. It is better against Husks and Sirens than the blade. It deals low damage and lacks reliable stun, so replace it with the Pulverizer by the time Scrakes spawn.
• EMP Grenade: underrated utility. In waves 6 to 10 it stuns and negates the abilities of Zeds. Use it on Scrakes and Fleshpounds. On a Scrake it stops sprinting; combined with a Gunslinger or Commando it sets up headshots. A Fleshpound can rage without being shot, so throw it as your team shoots it to prevent rage and avoid raging groups. It is a "situation resetter".

Tier 2: VLAD-1000 Nailgun

Rarely used by high-skill Berserkers but good for newer players to keep hordes out of a held room. Primary fire shoots 1 or 7 nails; alt-fire toggles single-shot and shotgun mode (7 nails per shot, 6 rounds). Nails penetrate: full damage to two Zeds and reduced damage to the third. Accuracy is very low, especially in shotgun mode, and the spread is uneven. Single shot mode pops heads (for example a Bloat behind a crowd). It also incapacitates lesser Zeds, a form of crowd control.

Tier 3

• Zweihander: once extremely powerful, but nerfed. Before the nerf it killed a Scrake in 5 headshots because Smash gave +100% hard hit damage, and its piercing bash could kill multiple Zeds in a line. After the nerf Smash gives only +25% and the bash no longer penetrates small Zeds, so it lacks trash-clearing speed and large-Zed utility. The author strongly suggests not using it.
• Pulverizer: the bread and butter weapon after the Zweihander nerf. Primary is a fast bludgeon swing with a 3-swing hold combo. Secondary adds explosive damage in a 180 degree arc in front of you, limited by explosive ammo (maximum 35 shells). The bash can knock down Scrakes and Fleshpounds with a head hit. Fleshpounds are very weak to explosions: against a 6-player HoE Fleshpound it takes 9 hits. Before reloading, make sure the Fleshpound is not raged; parry or block to break its rage, then reload. Scrakes resist explosions, so do not reload after emptying the first shells and use the alt-fire on the head for knockdowns. Practice parrying Scrakes: you take 10% of the damage and stun them briefly.

Tier 4: Eviscerator

A chainsaw with two modes: primary fires a buzzsaw blade that does massive damage and can be recovered; secondary is a chainsaw for clearing small Zeds. It can eat a third of its fuel to kill a Fleshpound, the vanishing ammo and off-center shot make it sub-par, and it only outshines the Pulverizer in rate of fire. Not recommended as a main weapon; take it only to clear small Zeds, like the nailgun.

Closing tips

Berserker weapons are cheap and the defaults are lethal against small Zeds, so share your dosh with squadmates before wave 5 so they can buy key weapons such as the Medic assault rifle and the Demolitionist RPG-7. This guide is a quick overview of the best gear for an effective Berserker.